Keep our children safe!
Obey school zone and school bus traffic laws
School buses Traffic laws regarding school buses are different in Washington than in Oregon. In the state of Washington you must stop for a bus signaling that it is loading or unloading students.
Drivers must stop when approaching a bus from either direction when:
The bus has its “stop paddle” extended on the driver’s side of the vehicle.
The red lights are flashing.
Drivers do not need to stop when the bus is loading or unloading children when:
The bus is proceeding in the opposite direction on a divided highway.
The bus is proceeding in the opposite direction on a highway with three or more marked lanes.
School zone speed enforcement
The speed limit in school zones is 20 miles per hour when children are present. With the start of the school year the Vancouver Police Department is making an extra effort to monitor traffic in school zones in order to keep children safe. For more information, please refer to the Traffic Unit Page at www.vanpolice.org.
The traffic fines for speeding in school zones have changed this year to be assessed on a graduated scale instead of a flat fine.
Speeding up to 10 mph over the speed limit incurs a fine of $210. Speeding 16 to 20 mph over is a $353 fine. The scale continues, with the highest fine of $784 for driving 36 mph or more over the speed limit. These fines cannot be reduced due to mitigating circumstances or by making a court appearance.
